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Linguistics

Reference Sources for Historical Linguistics

"A branch of linguistics which studies the development of language and languages over time; also known as diachronic linguistics. The data of study are identical to that of comparative philology, but the methods and aims are not the same. Historical linguistics uses the methods of the various schools of synchronic linguistics (including sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics, especially in considering the reasons for language change). From the entry for Historical Linguistics in A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics.

Below are some key reference texts for historical linguistics and language change. The Comparative-Historical Linguistics bibliography in the Oxford Bibliographies series provides a nice overview of key themes, scholars and texts in the field.

New Books on Historical Linguistics at UBC Library

Trask's Historical Linguistics
The Cambridge Handbook of Historical Orthography
Economy in European History

Library Subject Headings

UBC Library, like most academic libraries, uses Library of Congress Subject Headings. Books on Historical Linguistics can be found in the UBC Library catalogue under these Subject Headings:

For books on the history of a specific language or language family, use the following format to narrow your search results:

Historical Linguistics: Key Journals

Journal of Historical Linguistics cover
Folia Linguistica journal cover
Diachronica: International Journal for Historical Linguistics
Language Dynamics and Change journal cover
Journal of Historical Pragmatics cover page
Language Variation and Change journal cover